Fix Adobe Acrobat Crashing When Moving Between Monitors on Mac
Question details
Adobe Acrobat unexpectedly crashes when moving its window from a MacBook Pro built-in display to an external monitor.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- macOS (Mojave)
- Scenario
- Dragging the Acrobat application window across dual or multiple displays on a Mac.
- Observed behavior
- The application crashes or freezes immediately when transitioning to the secondary monitor.
Before attempting these display workarounds, ensure your MacBook is securely connected to your external monitor and save any open documents in other applications to prevent data loss if a system freeze occurs.
Use the Mirror Displays Setting to Reposition Acrobat
Temporarily mirroring your displays forces Acrobat to load on the desired screen without manually dragging the window.
This is the most reliable workaround for the macOS Mojave external monitor bug. By mirroring the screens, you bypass the graphical transition that triggers the Acrobat crash.
Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and select 'System Preferences', then click on 'Displays'.
Navigate to the 'Arrangement' tab and check the box labeled 'Mirror Displays' so both screens show the exact same content.
Launch Adobe Acrobat. Because the displays are mirrored, the application will appear on both screens simultaneously.
Go back to System Preferences and uncheck 'Mirror Displays'. Acrobat should now remain safely on your desired external monitor without crashing.
Close the MacBook Lid Before Opening Acrobat
Closing the laptop lid forces macOS to use the external monitor as the primary display, bypassing the need to drag the window.
Update macOS and Adobe Acrobat
Since this is a recognized compatibility issue between macOS and Acrobat, installing the latest system patches may resolve the underlying software bug.
Use WPS Office to View and Edit PDFs Across Monitors Seamlessly
Avoid frustrating application crashes by using WPS Office for Mac. Its built-in PDF editor is fully optimized for macOS, allowing you to seamlessly drag PDFs across multiple monitors without performance issues.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office for Mac application from the official website.
- 2. Open the PDF Tool: Launch WPS Office and click on the 'PDF' tab to open the built-in PDF reader and editor.
- 3. Open Your Document: Select your PDF file to open it within the application's clean workspace.
- 4. Move Between Screens: Click and drag the WPS Office window seamlessly between your MacBook Pro display and your external monitor without any risk of crashing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Adobe Acrobat crash when moving to an external monitor on a Mac?
This is a known compatibility issue recognized by Apple and Adobe, primarily affecting macOS Mojave users on MacBook Pros. It occurs due to a glitch in how the operating system handles the application's graphics rendering when transitioning between the built-in Retina display and an external monitor.
Can reinstalling Adobe Acrobat fix the dual monitor crashing issue?
Uninstalling and reinstalling Acrobat DC usually does not fix this specific issue because the root cause lies in the macOS display handling and older graphics drivers. Applying the 'Mirror Displays' workaround or updating macOS is a much more reliable solution.
Will updating to a newer macOS version stop Acrobat from crashing?
Yes, since Apple identified this as a macOS-related bug in Mojave, upgrading your Mac to a newer operating system (like Catalina, Big Sur, or later) and ensuring you have the latest Adobe Acrobat patches installed generally resolves the display transition crashes.
